Test results show students in Oroville area making progress

OROVILLE — Whistles, horns and drums broke the afternoon quiet Thursday afternoon as scores of children paraded with bright blue balloons down three streets in south Oroville.

The noisy parade was a way for staff, teachers and students of Wyandotte Avenue School to celebrate a recent 59-point gain in standardized testing results, released recently by the California Department of Education.

"We are so proud of how well the students did, and to have that many growth points," said Lynne Vincent, Wyandotte School principal. "They did a tremendous amount of learning, the teachers did a fabulous job of preparing them, and we want the community to know what an awesome job we've done."

For 30 minutes, the entire student body, teachers and staff paraded from the campus down Wyandotte Avenue, over Noble Avenue to Mesa Avenue and through the Central Middle School campus.

Vincent said Wyandotte had the second-highest gains in the county and the highest gains in the Oroville area.

Wyandotte's 2012 Academic Performance Index scores went from 701 from 2011 to the current 760.

Wyandotte wasn't alone. The API report shows many schools in the area made gains, some modest and some in double digits.

Helen Wilcox School, in Palermo Union School District, gained 47 points, surpassing the state goal of 800 with 804. The growth also launched Wilcox out of Program Improvement status.

Likewise, Thermalito Union School District's Poplar scores were up 41 to 775.

Helen Wilcox Principal Heather Scott said she and staff are very excited at their students' progress.

Scott said Wilcox staff celebrates with the students in May, right after they take the tests. But staff recently had its own celebration over the progress they made.

The principal attributes the gains there to a "very hard-working, dedicated staff focused on individual students."

"We're working hard looking at kids individually, finding out what their needs are and providing interventions," Scott said.

Not all schools made huge gains, and some others also scored more than the state average.

At Oroville City Elementary School District, Ophir School gained 25 points, going to 824.

Thermalito Union's Plumas Avenue School, which was already over the state average, gained 10 points, bringing the total API to 824.

Vincent said the majority of growth at Wyandotte was in math scores.

"Students were 80-percent proficient," she said. "It was a great effort."

She also attributed the progress to teachers' work.

"What the teachers are doing is coming up with strategies that are allowing students to catch, or hook onto the concepts," Vincent said.

She added interventions — such as groups focusing on concepts and two programs through a reading specialist — also made a difference.

Wyandotte has not emerged from Program Improvement status. Wyandotte is in Year 5. Vincent hopes to bring the scores next May up to 800, but for now she's focusing on the strides already made.

"We are showing the caliber of kids we have at Wyandotte; and the fact we're able to make significant growth, even to be second, is amazing for Wyandotte," she said.

For Helen Wilcox staff, the signs of growth and coming out of Program Improvement is a relief, Scott said.

"They've been weighted down because it is a long journey," she said. "It's nice to see that really hard work is showing something."

At a glance: Oroville-area academic test results

The state Academic Progress Reports were released recently to local schools.

Besides the schools mentioned in the accompanying story, other schools made progress. There were also some declines.

Three of the Oroville City Elementary School District schools had declining scores and are in varying stages of Program Improvement status: Oakdale Heights dropped 16 points, Stanford Avenue dropped 9 points; and Central Middle School fell 38 points.

Ishi Hills Middle School saw a 24-point gain but remains in PI Year 2. Bird Street School showed growth of 7 points.

Las Plumas, Oroville and Prospect high schools all made double-digit gains. Las Plumas scored a 13-point gain but is in the fourth year of PI. Oroville High students raised scores by 29 points and the school remains in the third year of PI. Although overall test scores were low for Prospect students, their score was up 56 points from 2010-11.

Other area schools showing growth are Bangor School and Berry Creek School.

On the flip side, one school showed a huge drop. Ipakanni Early College Charter School, sponsored by Feather Falls Union Elementary School District, saw an 82-point drop, going from 746 points in its first year down to 664 points now.

The 2011-12 Accountability Progress Report showing all county, district and school scores is available online by clicking on School and Progress Reports at www.cde.ca.gov.

Staff writer Barbara Arrigoni can be reached at 533-3136, barrigoni@orovillemr.com, or on Twitter @OMRBarbara.